How To Walk Again
by AtomicKokoro
Summary: Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.
1. Chapter 1: How To Get Hurt

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

I got bored. I think it's cute idea. It was originally supposed to be Shinra and Celty, because I thought it would be, well, cute, but I thought adding Saki in there kinda randomly would be a good idea. After all, she _is_ his girlfriend. I'm also a sucker (which I happen to be eating right now) for the Masaomi/Saki pairing. I think they are so cute together!

Also, there are no Kida/Shinra fics. Not as a pairing, but just a random fanfiction. I mean, wouldn't that be cool? If Masaomi and Shinra met? I mean, those two are so cool! They wouldn't stay around each other for very long, but it would be cool.

Where the hell is Mikado, you are asking? Hello if I know! Maybe he'll make random cameo appearances with Anri throughout. I have no idea what's happening. I would put, 'lol', but my damn OpenOffice would just capitalize the L...Ha! I'll just put that instead.

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 1**

**How To Get Hurt**

"Iz-ah-ya-kun..." The name was stretched out in a dangerous, silky tone like a rubber band.

A raven-haired male turned at his name and beamed. "Oh, Shizuo-chan!" he laughed. "Why, fancy meeting you here!"

And that was when Masaomi's ice ran dead cold. He stopped in his tracks and glanced back at the girl he was walking with; a girl with nice, chestnut hair, brown or black depending on the light, and the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen (he could go on, but for the reader's sake, let's not). She was glancing at the two rivals square off in the Ikebukuro street, holding one bag in her hands. Many people were running from the scene. They knew what was going to happen.

So did Masaomi. "C'mon, Saki. We better get outta here. It's gonna be a war zone!"

But Saki didn't move. "What about Izaya-kun? What if he gets hurt?"

Masaomi could slam his head against a wall right then and there. She was still crazy about him, and it often bothered him. They had already agreed to "disappear" the following week, to escape the merciless, viscous circle Ikebukuro kindly offered. Why couldn't she let the damn man go already? "He'll be fine. We won't! Now, let's go!"

Still, Saki refused to move. Masaomi sighed and was quick to give up. He folded his arms and stood beside her, waiting for it to end so they could get back home with the clothes and toiletries in the bags in their hands and stuff them in their hidden suitcases.

"I'm going to kill you." No hesitation. No silky tone. Pure ice.

"Sounds like fun!" Despite the warmth in his tone, it was colder than the first.

Masaomi and Saki stood side-by-side, one silently cheering for the man in the black coat, the other praying for a quick fight.

Shizuo grabbed the nearest trashcan and, with all his strength, tossed it at the black-coated man, who ducked to avoid it. Saki smiled. Masaomi rolled his eyes. Izaya whipped out his knife and clicked it open, jumping over a swiping stop sign only a hair's brush away. He came down in a fatal stab.

Shizuo grabbed Izaya's wrist and flung him down the street. Izaya landed sickeningly gracefully (according to Masaomi) with a gentle, _pat-pat_. Shizuo fixed his posture and adjusted his sunglasses. Izaya rolled his neck.

Then, the action started again. The informant was the first to move, reaching into his coat pockets and whipping several knives at Shizuo. Shizuo reacted with his stop sign and smacked most of them away with one swipe. One whipped passed, scratching his cheek lightly, but it was enough to piss him off. "Iz-ah-ya-kun!" he hollered, holding the sign like a javelin, and throwing it at the informant.

Izaya ran forward, the sign missing him completely, and swiped his blade across. The knife cut threw Shizuo's shirt, opening an old wound in his chest, only a few centimeters below. Shizuo snatched Izaya by the neck and threw him down the street again.

Masaomi sighed. This was going to be a while. Saki, on the other hand, was rather awestruck. She always loved Izaya-kun fight. He was so amazing sometimes, and a lot more graceful than Masaomi could ever be, the clumsy idiot. The clumsy, _loveable_ idiot.

Izaya laughed and got to his feet. "Man, Shizuo-chan. You really can't keep your temper, can you?"

Shizuo, in response, yelled Izaya's name (once again; the third time since the fight began) and picked up a vending machine. Saki flinched. "Izaya-kun!" she yelled. "Watch out!"

Masaomi's palm was against his face only a few milliseconds after she said that. He couldn't _believe_ how much she was _addicted_ to this _idiot._ Who the heck could love the informant as much as her? But, when he really thought about, she was the only one who ever loved him (as a boyfriend), so, how could Masaomi say such a thing? Saki loved the weirdest people, he could swear.

Izaya laughed again.

Shizuo tossed the vending machine at Izaya, who simply crouched down and the vending machine went sailing over his head...at the two teens behind him.

Masaomi yelled out a curse and Saki screamed. She shut her eyes and covered her ears. Suddenly, she was thrown to the ground. Her knee was racked and her elbow was scraped. Her head even slammed against the cement painfully, causing temporary confused and daze.

There was a few moments before she finally found the strength to open her eyes. Saki glanced around. Izaya and Shizuo were at it again, exchanging blows, trashcans, and throwing knives. She leaned up and rubbed her aching head. There was blood, hence the daze, but she figured she would be okay. "Dammit, I hope Izaya kicks Shizuo's ass for throwing that vending machine at us," she growled to Masaomi.

There was no reply.

She turned and gasped. Masaomi was unconscious, slumped against the wall between it and the vending machine. Blood was seeping down his cheeks from his forehead. He didn't appear anymore injured than that, but- "Masaomi-kun! Wake up!"

Saki was hovering over him, trying to pull him out from between the vending machine and the wall, but he was pinned from the waist down under the vending machine. The only hope she had was if she could lift it. She doubted it, but she had to try! She got to her feet and placed two hands on the vending machine, trying to push it off her boyfriend with a grunt of trying. She tried for a few moments, before stopping and panting. She hadn't even lifted it an inch. It was futile. Only Shizuo could pick up the vending machine, but he was too busy with Izaya.

"Kida! Please, hang in there!" she cried, still attempting to lift the vending machine off of him.

Izaya ducked under the sign Shizuo swung and stepped to the side. They both stepped forward and slammed each others' foreheads together, staring into their eyes with either hate or amusement.

"Shizuo-chan."

"Izaya-kun."

"Masaomi-kun!"

Both men turned at the voice. Saki had given up trying to move the vending machine and was holding onto Masaomi, desperately, trying to tug him out from underneath it. That wasn't working either. She choked back a sob and simply held him, waiting for help to come.

People getting hurt in their brawls wasn't uncommon, but when it was someone you knew, it almost always seemed different. Shizuo turned back to Izaya and glared at him before rushing over to Saki and Masaomi. "Is he okay?"

Izaya simply stayed back and shoved his hands in his pocket. "Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted." Then, without a second to spare, he skipped off down the street like he didn't know them. Saki's blood begin to boil and she would've gone after him, if Masaomi wasn't so badly injured. She ignored it for now and helped Shizuo with getting Masaomi free from under the vending machine.

Once people began to realize the fight was over, they returned to the streets and almost instantly began to gather around Shizuo, Saki, and Masaomi. Some offered a hand to help, but Shizuo growled at them away.

"Masaomi!" The only two people Shizuo couldn't scare away when Masaomi was in danger, no matter how much the danger: Mikado Ryūgamine and Anri Sonohara. "What happened?" Mikado gasped. "Is he okay? Oh, my God..."

Saki had wiped away most of her tears by that time, shooting pissed off glances at the "bartender" so now and again when she could. "It was _his_ fault," she snapped. "He threw the vending machine at Izaya and it was going to hit us instead."

Shizuo said nothing in return.

The ambulance came not too long later, and Masaomi was taken to the hospital. Second time that year. Second time that month.

He really knew how to get himself screwed.

…

**After Notes**

Yay! It will be a chapter story! Maybe a triple-shot...? Maybe more than! You'll never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever know.

Amazing what you can do with the copy and paste button!

Loved it? Hate it? Wanna read it again? Let me know! The review button is right there!


	2. Chapter 2: How To Postpone Adventures

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter, Kida got crushed by a vending machine. Yeah...What fun. Ha ha!

On with the story.

…

**Chapter 2**

**How To Postpone Adventures**

Beep. Beep. Beep.

_Someone kill me_, he groaned in his head. That damn beeping just wouldn't shut up! He could tear it in two, but he wasn't anything like Shizuo. He couldn't pick up a vending machine and throw it. God, he wish he could, though, cause then he'd give Shizuo a taste of his own medicine. See how he likes getting crushed between a wall and a vending machine!

"You have a visitor," the nurse said, looking a little frightened.

Masaomi blinked out of his thoughts and looked up at her. His facial expression might have reflected his thoughts. That, or the visitor was Shizuo Heiwajima himself. "Okay..." he said, sounding unsure. Why was the nurse telling him this instead of bringing the visitor in?

A girl walked through the door. Saki. She was looking a bit worried, perhaps confused. Her head was bandaged in a wrap, like his, but hers was a bit more heavier. She had really hit her head on the cement. He didn't mean to push her that hard. He was stronger than he thought.

He smiled and, suddenly, he didn't care about getting a vending machine thrown at him anymore. "Hey," he said. "What's up?"

Saki smiled. "Nothing," she replied, sighing and sitting down on the bed. "Just being bored. It's so lonely. You usually come up with all the fun stuff to do."

"Oh, no! Saki can't go shoe shopping without me! What ever will she do?" The tone was dramatic and sarcastic, but hilarious. Saki burst into laughter, falling back on his legs. Masaomi giggled, too. "What about that movie you wanted to see but I didn't?"

Saki sighed and rolled onto her side, staring up at his face from her weird position. "I don't want to use our money. We've been planning this for months!"

"Honey, I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon," he said.

Saki laughed. "Are you kidding me? In a few weeks, you'll be out! We'll just have a bit more pocket change than we planned."

Before Masaomi could say anything, another voice interrupted their moment. "Actually," They turned to the voice.

"Shinra-san?" they question in unison. Indeed, the young doctor..scientist...they weren't sure. He had too many titles, but he was standing at the door, nevertheless.

"Yup!" he chirped, fixing his glasses. His expression instantly turned cold or, at least, serious. "Uh, I think you'll be here for more than a few weeks." Saki and Masaomi shifted uneasily at the same time, waiting for the doctor to continue. He inhaled deeply, took two steps nowhere, looked down at his clip board, then said, "Well, Kida-kun can't walk." Needless to say, Shinra had a strange way of breaking such news. "So, you'll be staying with Celty and I."

He tried to get out of the room as fast as possible, as if he didn't want to see them upset, but he was stopped when Masaomi said, "Hey! What do you mean I can't walk?"

Shinra sighed and turned. "Well, in kid terms-" That wasn't helping the situation. "-you're spinal cord was, I guess, twisted in a weird way, and the messages sent from your brain to your legs is...broken, I guess." He was guessing an awful lot.

"You mean I'm...paralyzed?"

Shinra scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Yeah," he confirmed, sadly and slowly.

There was a long silence before Masaomi sighed. "Damn. There goes Hawaii."

Saki gaped. "Hawaii? We can't even speak English!"

"We'll figure it out eventually. I study it a lot."

"You can't even remember Mikado's birthday."

"I do!"

"Yeah? When is it?"

A brief pause. "Sometime in...March."

Saki rolled her eyes.

Shinra cleared his throat. "Don't worry, though," he said, as if he was expecting a different reaction (in this case, he was). "but Celty and I can teach you to walk again, so you can go to...Hawaii. Or...wherever."

"Oh, I'm not totally paralyzed for life. That's good. How long will this take?"

Shinra blinked for a moment. "Uh, I guess it depends on your healing process."

"Fifty bucks on six months!" Saki gasped.

"A hundred on three!"

"Deal!"

Shinra smiled a bit. Well, things were going better than expected. Young love. How cute.

…

Click. Click. Click.

_He took it nicely?_ It was a question in need of a confirmation.

Shinra nodded at the question. The headless fairy, Celty Sturluson, was confused (Shinra had gotten to know her emotions over the course of the twenty years he had known her). He was expecting a different reaction, too. A painful silence, perhaps some depression, but the presence of his girlfriend just seemed to have made him...happier, like it was just another small obstacle they could overcome.

Oh, how magnificent the power of love could be!

It took a good smack on the head to bring Shinra out of his thoughts (Celty couldn't yell; she had been waving wildly at him for the passed three minutes) and bring his attention back to her. _When are they coming?_

"After the operation," Shinra explained. "It's next week. Maybe we should get ready for when they come."

_Is Saki-san coming, too?_

Shinra thought about it for a moment. Separating them would be stupid. He couldn't imagine how depressed and bored Masaomi would be without her in the apartment. Besides, she could help around, taking care of him. He shrugged. "I don't see why not."

…

The operation was smooth and successful. Mikado, Anri, and Saki all remained in the waiting room for as long as they could. Mikado and Anri had school to attend to, but since Saki dropped out, she could stay all day. Often times, she got lonely when Mikado and Anri weren't there. She had to admit; they were pretty cool people.

It was a Tuesday night, a week after the operation, when they released him. He wheeled himself out of his room on a pale blue wheelchair. He made his way down to the waiting room where his three friends were waiting for him. It took him a moment but he managed to open the self-closing door and walked- ...pushed himself in.

When Saki saw him, she was happy and heartbroken at the same time. He was out, but...he was in a wheelchair, defenseless as he was, and it was weird to see him so. One wouldn't believe them if they said he was a powerful gang leader who almost threatened all of Ikebukuro, but it was true.

But to see him in a wheelchair...

"Masaomi-kun!" Mikado yelped, happy to see his friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Masaomi replied. "and hungry as hell. Can you believe the stuff they feed here? It's like airplane food, but worse!"

Mikado laughed.

"I'm glad you're okay." It was Anri speaking. "I was worried."

Masaomi smiled at her and thanked her before turning his attention to Saki and beaming. "Hey!" he sang, opening his arms for a hug. "I missed you, Saki-chan!"

Saki smiled and jumped into his lap, holding him close. The wheelchair wheeled back into a wall. Each teen gave a huff of surprise but did nothing more. He held her close and, honestly, she didn't want to let him go.

At that moment, Shinra and Celty walked into the room. Shinra smiled, and Celty would have, too, had she a head. "Well?" Shinra began, taking in a breath. "I guess we better get going."

…

**After Notes**

Is it just me, or is Shinra _really_ out-of-character? I'm going to have to look him up so I can put him in character more.

Loved it? Hate it? Wanna read it again? Let me know! The review button is right there.


	3. Chapter 3: How To Wait

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Alright! Now is my attempt to put Shinra in character!

Also, I just wanna say, this is _not_ a Yaoi fic. I don't know if people are thinking that, it's not. Just to let you guys know.

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 3**

**How To Wait**

The couch was comfy, to an extent.

Masaomi would have much preferred a bed, but he let Saki have the cot and he took the couch. He didn't mind it. Anything for her. He smiled and dazed off into a fantasy land, one involving Saki and himself. He tried not to dwell on it too much, but, being a boy, it was one of the only things on his mind...or, at least, at the time.

She kissed him softly on the lips as she sat down on the cot. It was getting late. Mikado and Anri had gone home only a few moments ago, about the same time Shinra and Celty went off to bed. Masaomi was starving and hoping for some food, but everyone was too tired to note any hunger from anyone (Shinra and Saki were also very hungry) and dozed off to sleep without much to think about.

…

The previous night had been too dark for Masaomi to see anything, but when he woke up the next morning, he was rather pleased with the size and function of the apartment. Not too far away was the kitchen. Perfect!

Wait. He couldn't walk. _Damn, this is starting to bother me. _The kitchen was _right there_ and he couldn't get to it! A hungry man's worst nightmare. Saki couldn't have heard his thoughts; she would have corrected him by calling him a boy. But she must have because she brought him food, from the kitchen to the couch where he was sitting. She tried to feed it to him like a mother to a child, but he insisted he wasn't _totally_ immobile. "Shut up and let me!" she snapped.

Masaomi was instantly quiet and let her do what she wanted. He kind of didn't mind it. The food was good (Shinra said Celty made it, but Celty refused to take credit with every excuse in the book) and Saki's smile just made it all that much better. She took a bite or two herself from Masaomi's plate when she got hungry.

He didn't mind that either.

"Aren't they cute?" Shinra cooed. "Just like you and me, Celty-chan."

It took all of her will _not_ to hit him. And, _dammit_, she was going to smack him good, too! Click. Click. Click. _Shut up and eat, will you?_

Shinra continued eating. "I have no problem eating this wonderful food made by _you_, Celty," he said through a mouthful of food.

God, he annoyed her! Black smoke covered the ceiling of the room, but Shinra was prepared; he took the batteries out of the fire alarm a _long_ time ago.

"Say, 'ah', Masaomi-kun."

"_Ah_." Saki put the spoonful of eggs in his mouth and Masaomi chomped on it hungrily. "Thank you, Saki-chan." She smiled in return.

Click. Click. Click. _They are sweet, though._

Shinra beamed, his mouth full and all.

_Shinra! Swallow before you smile! That's gross!_

He laughed and did so. This was interesting, and rather hilarious, too.

…

"When am I gonna learn to walk again?" It was such an obvious question, but no one bothered to answer it before. Maybe Masaomi would get an answer now.

"Not yet," Shinra said, placing the last cup in the cupboard. Celty had gone out on a job and Saki went grocery shopping. It was only the two males in the apartment. "We have to wait a few days for your back to heal before you can start walking again."

Masaomi huffed then turned to the window. Then, with a smirk, he rolled off the couch with a grunt and tried to move his legs. It wasn't working. With a frown, he turned onto his stomach and tried to drag himself across the floor. "What are you doing?" Shinra gasped, running over to him.

"Attacking the floor- Stop, stop!" Masaomi growled as Shinra started pulling him back to the couch. Much to Masaomi's disappointment, he couldn't kick the doctor (as much as he wanted to) and was forced to sit on the couch. "I just want the TV Remote."

"Can't you just ask?" Shinra sighed, pouting childishly. He walked over to the TV, fetched the remote, and brought it back to the boy. "There you go. Next time, just ask, okay?"

Masaomi slowly nodded, almost confused by how Shinra _wasn't_ scolding him. If it were Saki, he would be mincemeat _and_ toast. She was _just_ that talented. He smiled, leaned back, and flipped on the TV, surfing through the channels mindlessly. He wasn't even paying attention to what was on; he was too busy thinking about Saki.

"Are you going to choose something?" Shinra asked, reaching for the remote. Masaomi whipped it out of Shinra's reach and stuck his tongue out at him. Shinra gladly returned the gesture. "Well, pick something! I'm tired of hearing half-spoken sentences."

Just for that, Masaomi decided to put on something stupid; reality TV. It was the dumbest thing on the planet, but he couldn't help but laugh at how _stupid_ these people were. It was so _obvious_ it was fake. "C'mon!" Shinra complained, yet again, trying for the remote. "Put something _decent_ on, like the discovery channel, or Youth Television-"

"YTV." Masaomi corrected. "And why on _Earth_ would I watch the _Discovery Channel_? Dude, unlike you, I'm not into animal porn."

"What the hell?" Shinra snapped, trying, once more, for the remote. For being immobile from the waist down, that boy was _excellent_ at keeping the remote out of Shinra's reach, but, then again, Shinra had yet to move from his seat on the couch. Shinra jumped up, leaned forward, and grabbed the remote from Masaomi's hands. "Ha ha!"

Masaomi folded his arms and pouted. "Not fair," he growled. "I can't move very far."

"You don't have to move to watch TV," Shinra chuckled, flipping on something similar to _The Simpsons_. It was the only decent thing that time of night. He just dreaded whatever came after.

The two mindlessly stared at the TV screen, barely registering what was going on. Ironically, both males were thinking about their girls. Masaomi's was more fantastical while Shinra's thoughts more focused on the past.

They did nothing else until Saki got back. Shinra helped her with the groceries, putting them away where they should be. Masaomi tried to stay focused on the screen, but his eyes kept getting drawn back to the girl. He beamed when he caught her eyes. She smiled back, put the mustard in the fridge, then sat beside him, exhausted. "How are you doing?"

"Good." They stared at each other for a moment before Masaomi planted a light kiss on her lips and wrapped her arm around her. "I love you," he said, smiling sweetly. One of those few moments Masaomi was calm, serene, and romantic.

Saki took this moment to kiss him back and whisper, "I love you, too." Masaomi lightly pressed his forehead against Saki's and nudged his nose against hers. She giggled and leaned against his chest.

"'Neither doctors nor the Kusatsu Hot Springs can cure the illness called love,'" Shinra quoted into the fridge from the kitchen, beaming. Saki and Masaomi exchanged unsure glances before Saki took control of the remote and turned on the first thing that caught her eye; _Pretty Little Liars_. Masaomi tilted his head back and groaned but didn't protest any further.

Shinra slapped together a quick sandwich and disappeared into his office, which was just behind the couch Masaomi and Saki were sitting on. It was next to impossible to hear anything outside of the office, but Shinra could still hear the mumblings and yellings of the couple just outside his office door.

Celty returned only five minutes before the end of _Pretty Little Liars_, which she watched with Masaomi and Saki before heading off to bed. Shinra watched Celty disappear into the bedroom and quickly rushed to the bedroom door, yelling something as he opened it, disappeared inside, and shut the door behind him.

Masaomi blinked stupidly, trying to decipher what Shinra said before giving up and zoning out in front of the TV again. Saki fell asleep against Masaomi during a re-run of _The Vampire Diaries_ and, once Masaomi realized this, he turned off the TV and fell asleep with an arm slung around her shoulders.

…

**After Notes**

Is Shinra in character this time? I hope so!

Yeah, leave a review. Or don't! That works, too!


	4. Chapter 4: How To Fight Handicapped

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

This is so boring. Let's add some action!

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 4**

**How To Fight Handicapped**

"How about today?"

Shinra sighed. Masaomi was so _persistent_! "Not today, no."

Masaomi groaned and fidgeted on the couch. "C'mon! I'm getting stir crazy. I don't know how much longer I can stand being stuck on this couch. Teach me to walk so I can go outside!"

Saki sat on the couch beside Masaomi and fed him some cereal, which he gladly ate. "Don't worry, Masaomi-kun. I'll get the wheelchair and we can go for a walk downtown, okay?"

"Yes!" he cheered, accidentally spitting some milk on Saki. "Oops. Sorry."

She wiped the milk from her face with her sleeve and spooned him some more cereal without saying anything about it. "We'll go visit Mikado-kun. He'll be happy to see you."

Masaomi didn't say anything this time and simply nodded.

…

Saki pushed the wheelchair without much effort, Masaomi trying to hide his face as much as possible. He didn't like it when people stared. It was so unnerving. "Chin up, Masaomi-kun," Saki said, trying to keep her tone as light and happy as possible; she didn't like the staring people, either. "It's not too far to Mikado-kun's house."

Masaomi nodded and tried to tilt his chin up as much as possible. He stared through the people's jackets and belts, trying to see Mikado's house. He felt so small, sitting in that chair, scared someone might trample him by accident.

Then he blinked and noticed something across the road. "Crap! Saki!" he gasped, trying to keep himself calm. "I...I think-"

"I see them, too."

Neither of them had the courage to say it, but if they were right, there were Blue Squares across the road. How could that be? Didn't they all get arrested? They tried not to look at the Blue Squares, their hearts racing and pounding against their ribs. Masaomi's breathing was irregular, and Saki's grip on the bars was so tight, her knuckles turned snow white.

They stopped at Mikado's house and Saki glanced up the stairs. "Damn," she cursed. "How are we supposed to get up there?"

"We don't." Masaomi flipped open his red phone, one he bought after he destroyed his favored orange one (he had yet to realize he had the same phone as Anri), and typed in a message.

After a few moments, Mikado stepped out of his house, followed by Anri, and trotted down the stairs. "Hey!" he called as he approached them. "Looking good, Masaomi."

Masaomi forced a laugh out, trying to calm himself. The Blue Squares were gone, but he was still scared. How many more of them were there? Saki seemed much more together and chuckled. "Isn't he? Shinra says it won't be long before he'll teach him to walk again. He's gotten so stir crazy, so I thought maybe hanging out with you guys today would be a good idea."

After a moment of simply standing and catching up, they agreed to go to Russian Sushi. Mikado offered to push Masaomi, but Saki declined remained behind him. She was still a little shaken up from the encounter, too.

…

"Oh, you come eat Russia Sushi?" Simon beamed at the four who walked up. Mikado flashed the coupon card given as a lagniappe and Simon showed them inside. They quickly ordered and Simon disappeared.

They quickly talked and reminisced. The day grew on, and they had to have been there for hours. The sushi was good (Masaomi ordered the spiciest stuff they had) and they laughed quite a lot. "Sorry," Mikado said, getting up. "It's getting late. I have a test tomorrow and I _need_ to study."

Anri quickly excused herself, too, and Masaomi and Saki were on their way back to Shinra and Celty's apartment. "I can't believe Mikado actually walked into the girl's change room instead of the boys!" Masaomi hollered, tossing his head back and laughing. "He's such a klutz."

Saki chuckled and pushed on, finally reaching the top of the hill of the sidewalk. Why couldn't they make a tunnel?

Suddenly, a voice from behind growled, "Hey!" Saki turned and glanced back. Masaomi leaned around the chair. Their blood ran ice cold. Three Blue Squares approaching them. One of them snickered and grabbed Saki's shoulder. "Where are you going? Stay here for a little while."

"Um, no thanks," Saki whispered, trying to go on, hoping they would just leave them alone. Hoping.

"Hey. We insist." A second Blue Square, biggest of the three, stepped up, a little too close to Saki for comfort. "Besides, it could be fun."

Masaomi swallowed a lump in his throat. If they tried to fight, both him and Saki would be in _serious_ danger. He couldn't fight. He was stuck in the damn wheelchair! "Back off," he growled. "We have someplace to be."

The first Blue Square, a medium build, sneered. "No, you don't."

The second Blue Square stepped forward and pushed Saki back, trapping her between his body and the wall. "C'mon. Don't be this way. Name your price."

"Hell no!" she snapped and punched the guy in the face with her best right cross. The guy stumbled back and rubbed his chin. "Go away!"

The third Blue Square, a short, thin guy, stepped in and grabbed the handles of Masaomi's wheelchair, pulling him backwards. Masaomi grabbed the wheels as the Blue Square let go and the wheelchair started moving on it's own, backwards. It stopped but it would take some strength to get it back to the top of the hill, strength Masaomi couldn't seem to muster at the time. Naturally, he released a string of curse words.

"Stop it!" Saki snapped, rushing forward. She was stopped by the second Blue Square who grabbed her by the arms and pushed her back against the wall, trying to pull her shirt up. "Leave me alone!" She struggled and stomped on his foot. The Blue Square yelped and jumped back. Saki rushed forward and punched him again, for good measure.

Masaomi glanced behind him and pushed the wheels backwards. He sped backwards down the hill and ran over the third Blue Square. He stopped himself before he got too fast to stop. The first one spun around and glanced down at his short buddy, a mistake by far as Saki pushed him. He tripped over the third Blue Square and landed flat on his face.

"Saki!" She glanced up. The second Blue Square grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off the ground. Masaomi growled and tried to push himself up the hill, but the laws of physics made it impossible. "Saki! No!"

The third Blue Square got to his feet and snarled, flashing a lethal look Masaomi's way before kicking the wheelchair backwards. Masaomi gripped his wheels tighter. The harder the Square kicked, the harder it got to hold the wheels in place.

The second Blue Square pushed Saki against the wall and grabbed the collar of her shirt, ripping it forward and tearing it. She screamed at the same time Masaomi's grip gave way and rolled backwards. He rolled backwards, too fast to stop. The wheels burned the skin on his palms.

Suddenly, he stopped. He panted heavily, still in some shock. Then, he glanced back. "Sh-Shizuo!" he gasped. Shizuo pushed the boy up the hill, who placed his palms in his lap. No damage was done too them, but it still hurt.

They reached the top of the hill and all three Blue Squares froze. Saki was sobbing into her arm, her shirt torn half-way down her stomach, her belt undone. The gang boys let her go, turned and ran. Shizuo left Masaomi on the top of the hill so he wouldn't roll anywhere and charged after them.

Saki and Masaomi stood for a moment, panting, recovering from shock. After a moment, Celty appeared over the hill and stopped beside them. _Are you okay?_ She asked.

Neither of them said anything.


	5. Chapter 5: How To Survive Another Day

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter, stuff happened that kind of brought the rating up a bit, but nothing too big.

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 5**

**How To Survive Another Day**

Neither Masaomi nor Saki could sleep that night. "I'm sorry," he whispered, holding her close to his chest, secretly vowing to never let go. "I couldn't protect you. Again."

Saki didn't say anything and buried her nose into his chest. Masaomi held her close and hummed a gentle tune, picking notes out of the air at random and stringing them together in a soft lullaby. Saki closed her eyes and listened to the song, memorizing each breath and note. Slowly, the song began to repeat itself and, slowly, Saki began to memorize it.

…

Breakfast was mostly silent. Saki continued to feed Masaomi like a child, who simply let her do just that. When breakfast was finished, Shinra sitting at the table silently, Masaomi holding Saki closely, Celty taking a shower in the bathroom, Masaomi announced, "I'm going to learn to walk today." It wasn't a question.

…

It was raining outside that day. The city was gray, expressionless. Water dripped off the edged of rainbow colored umbrellas. People moved on with their day.

Masaomi sat by the window in his wheelchair, staring out over the achromatic city. Saki walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on," she said. "You should take a bath."

He found it very hard, but he smiled. "Alright," he said.

…

Shinra knocked on the door to the bathroom. "Celty-san!" he sang. "Is that you?"

"No!" came a different female voice.

Shinra blinked stupidly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Saki-chan."

"Saki?" This time, the voice was male.

"What the- Kida-kun? How did you...?"

In the bathroom, Saki was lathering some shampoo in Masaomi's hair, bubbles running down his back, making his skin seem flawless for the moment. Once the bubbles past and water washed them away, faded scars revealed themselves, nice and loud. "I'm that talented!" Masaomi yelled back.

Saki stared at the scars on Masaomi's body, somehow managing to recall the story to each and every one. One long, deeply cut scar was from a brawl on the street against the Blue Squares. He had been with two other Yellow Scarves at the time, walking down the city, doing a round to make sure no other gangs were on their turf.

They were ambushed by four Blue Squares. Masaomi told her that one of the Blue Squares had a knife and stabbed him in the back, drawing the blade down painfully. Masaomi had pulled through the pain "like a hero and kicked their sorry asses". She saw the pain in his eyes as he told the story.

That wasn't what happened.

"Are you ready?" she asked, beaming as she poured a bucket of water on his head to wash away the shampoo. Masaomi sputtered and coughed.

He shook his head, spraying water on Saki like a dog. "No!" he gasped. "Thanks for the warning!"

Saki laughed and pulled out a bar of soap, gentle rubbing it against Masaomi's skin. More bubbles poured down his skin and she reached below the water to clean him when Masaomi squirmed. "No! No, stop!" he laughed.

Shinra shook his head as he passed the bathroom. "That tickles," Masaomi hollered, laughing. Saki laughed and cried out in shock when Masaomi splashed her.

"Young love is so powerful, isn't it?" Shinra sighed, sitting down in the table across from Celty.

Click, click, click. _They have been through a lot together,_ she wrote._ I don't think it has anything to do with how old they are._

Shinra smiled. "Much like you and I, no?"

Celty slammed her fists against the table then slowly realized when he meant. She uncurled her fists and thought about it. _What do you mean?_

"I've known you my whole life," he replied. "We've been together. Through good and bad, right?"

Celty paused, unsure of what to say next. Click, click. _I suppose,_ she said.

Shinra smiled. At that moment, Saki and Masaomi came out of the bathroom and made their way into the kitchen. "Alright," Masaomi said, pushing himself out of Saki's grip, who frowned but followed. "I'm ready, Shinra."

He was serious. Shinra paused, then nodded. He got up and walked to Masaomi. "First, we'll stand. Saki, could you help, please?"

"Okay." She walked beside Masaomi and helped Shinra lift Masaomi to his feet. They paused for a moment. Then, Masaomi fell forward. Saki reached forward suddenly and caught him, keeping him from falling completely. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine," he replied, getting back to just standing. "I just lost my balance."

Saki held onto him for a moment then slowly let him go. He just stood their on his own, sighing. He tried to take one step forward. His balance waving and he nearly fell over, but Shinra caught him that time. Masaomi cursed.

The cycle went on for an hour before Shinra suggested they stop for the day and try again tomorrow. Masaomi insisted further on trying, but Shinra convinced him to sit, or he would suffer through listening to Shinra go through love quotes he absolutely adored.

Nothing notable happened until, half-way through the movie _A Knight's Tale_ which happened to be on TV Shinra, Masaomi, and Saki were watching, Saki received a text. "It's from Simon-san," she gasped. She read the text and laughed. "Oh, he heard about what happened from Mikado-kun. He told us to get better soon and, when we can, visit the Russian Sushi restaurant. He says he'll give us a discount. Isn't that so sweet of him? I can't believe he _actually_ punched Izaya-kun in the face!"

Masaomi laughed and read the text himself. "Well, we'll have to go there some time tomorrow. Maybe we can have Shinra come with us this time!" It was meant to be a joke, but Shinra took it seriously.

"Sounds great," he said. "_Someone_ has to keep an eye on you."

Saki simply chuckled and rested her head on Masaomi's shoulder. At that moment, Celty came through the door, knocking on the wall to get everyone's attention. It worked. Everyone glanced at her. Masaomi noted the crutches in her arm. _These crutches will help Masaomi learn to walk again,_ she explained. _It will help him keep his balance when he walks. I think it will be a great idea._

Masaomi blinked and nodded very slowly. "Alright," he said. "I'll try them out tomorrow."

Everyone returned to the movie.

…

"You come today to eat Russia Sushi?" Simon beamed. Shinra, Masaomi, and Saki stood before him. "Russia Sushi good, no? Fighting bad, Russia Sushi good. Come. Eat Russia Sushi."

Saki always loved how Simon spoke. He was one her most favorite people in the world. Shinra, on the other hand, seemed disappointed. Celty didn't come because she was afraid of the police trying to apprehend her.

Masaomi was standing, one crutch under each arm to keep his balance for him. It had taken them an hour or so to get to Russian Sushi, but he had managed to walk there. Saki and Shinra were rather proud of him.

"'With love and patience, nothing is impossible,'" Shinra gasped as they reached the restaurant. Masaomi could only hope that the 'love' part was referring to him and Saki.

Simon lead them inside and they gladly ordered what they wanted. After a moment of simply talking about whatever the conversation lead, a man dressed in black and white approached the table. "Excuse me, Kishitani-san," he said, straightening his back formally. "May I speak with you for a second?"

Shinra took a deep breath then stood up. "I'll be right back," he told the couple. "Stay here, and don't eat my sushi." He turned and left with the man.

He follow him to the back alley where they stopped and the man turned. The barrel of a gun aimed at Shinra's forehead, but, much to anyone's surprise, the young doctor didn't flinch. "Listen, Kishitani. We _cannot_ have anyone know about that little experiment you saw three years ago."

Shinra inhaled deeply, a bead of sweat chilling down his spine. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied. "Don't you think violence is taking it a little too far?"

The man pressed the barrel against Shinra's forehead. "You think this is some kind of game? Don't you realize I'm going to kill you? You're going to _die_."

There was a moment of passing silence. Then, Shinra ducked down. The gun was shot, but it only sailed harmlessly into the brick wall behind the doctor. Shinra reached into his lab coat pocket and whipped out a scalpel, stabbing the man in the chest without a chance for the man to shoot again. The man fell to the ground, dead if not unconscious.

Shinra bit his lip, suddenly feeling weak in the knees. Did he _really_ just kill someone? He inhaled deeply and pushed his glasses back in place. After a moment of thought, the man's phone rang. Shinra blinked and crouched down to pick it up. He flipped open the phone and read the text.

_Is he dead?_

Shinra growled and glanced at the sender's name.

_Orihara Izaya_.

…

When Shinra returned to Masaomi and Saki, the food had been delivered and they were half-way through eating it. Saki popped a small roll of sushi in Masaomi's mouth, who chewed on it with a smile. Shinra sat down in his spot and folded his arms on the table.

"Are you okay?" Masaomi asked. Shinra beamed, nodded, and dug into his sushi.

"Are you sure?" Saki then added. "There is blood on your sleeve."

Shinra flinched and examined the blood. "Oi," he said. "I'm fine. Celty is just too pretty for me, sometimes!" He laughed it off and continued to eat his food. Saki gladly joined him, while Masaomi hesitated. "Everything is okay," Shinra insisted. Masaomi nodded and continued to eat.

He knew Shinra was lying.

…

**After Notes**

I had that ending planned better, but I forgot how it went. Ha ha! Man, I'm stupid sometimes.

You know the drill. Review! Let me know what you want to happen next! It might happen! Might not, but still!


	6. Chapter 6: How To Dream Of Dying

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter, _Shinra killed someone_. Holy crap!

On with the story.

…

**Chapter 6**

**How To Dream Of Dying**

The reflection in the mirror seemed different that night. Shinra stared back into his gray eyes. "A young doctor who's also a killer, running away from a secret organization..." He couldn't help but wonder what sort of mess he had brought himself into.

_Shinra? Are you okay?_ Shinra turned at the sound of the clicking.

"Hey, Celty," he said, taken by surprise. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The headless woman stepped into their bedroom and shut the door. It was late at night, and Saki and Masaomi had finally gotten to sleep. _Kida-kun told me about what happened. About the blood on your sleeve. He thinks your lying and, if I'm right..._ She showed him what she wrote, then retreated it and continued to write. She showed him. _...he's just as scared as you are._

Shinra bit his lip and swallowed. "Everything is alright," he said again. "Why don't you guys believe me? I think you guys have been too uptight since Saki and Masaomi were attacked by the Blue Squares."

Celty clicked furiously on her keypad. _Idiot! Uptight? Are you serious? We're all a little shaken up. You can't deny you are, too! We're all scared, and don't think I forgot about what happened three years ago._

There was a flinch in Shinra's movements as he read the last sentence. "Celty, I-"

_You better tell us what's going on, Shinra,_ she growled, changing her shadow clothes into pajamas. _We all need to be in the light. Secrets are the last thing we need now._

Shinra watched her lay in the bed and waiting till he knew she was sleeping. She was scared, too, and angry. He could feel it. He didn't need to see a face to know what she was thinking. He sighed and got ready for bed.

Before he got in, he paused. There was a light buzz coming from somewhere in the room. He opened his drawer and retrieved his phone. Shinra blinked and answered it. "Hello?"

"Oh, you are still alive." The voice was unmistakeable. Orihara Izaya. "I didn't think you had the strength to kill someone, Kishitani-san."

"What was that about?" Shinra snapped, keeping his voice as low as possible.

Izaya, on the other line, spun around in his chair once and leaned forward on his desk. "Well, I couldn't have you expose my little secret, now, could I? That would ruin _everything_."

"In the state things are now," Shinra whispered, remaining calm. "the only thing ruined is a boy's ability to walk, which _you_ ruined and _I'm_ trying to fix."

"Oh, Kishitani-san. I didn't know it was _you_ caring for Kida-kun. Tell me. How is he doing?"

Shinra hesitated to reply. "Fine," he simply replied.

Izaya smirked and glanced at Namie, who was organizing some books up on the second-floor library. "I suggest you keep your lips shut, Shinra," he whispered dangerously, his tone slick and silky. "or the courier just might find herself a job she won't get back from one day."

Shinra's fist tightened at his side. "Don't you dare-"

"My, my, Shinra," Izaya interrupted. "Has something in you changed? What ever happened to that childish tone and playful comebacks I'm so used to? Now, you're so angry. Was it Celty who changed you? Or perhaps the close call Masaomi and Saki barely escaped. You're lucky Shizuo _happened_ to be passing by."

"Did you have something to do with that?" Shinra accused, keeping his voice low to keep from waking Celty. "Izaya!"

There was a mere chuckle from the other line. "Are you scared? Is that why you're so angry? Is the responsibility of two innocent children bearing on your mind?"

"Shut up, Izaya," Shinra growled.

"Oh, Kishitani-san," Izaya sighed, twirling his finger around and around in the telephone cord. "I almost can't decide. What should your fate be? How will you die?"

Shinra took a deep breath. "You've changed since High School," he murmured. "You're so much scarier."

"That isn't very nice," Izaya cooed. "but I will take it as a compliment. After all, Kishitani-san, you are a very nice person. Too bad terrible things happen to such wonderful people."

"Izaya-"

The line went dead before Shinra could say anything else. He brought the phone down and stared at the screen.

_Orihara Izaya_

_905-8429_

_1:08...1:09...1:10_

"Celty..."

Shinra had trouble sleeping that night and, when he did, he drempt of dying.

…

"Celty, I think you should take a day off today."

Celty dropped her fork and whipped out her keyboard. _What? Why?_

Shinra swallowed his food and beamed. "I want to spend the day with you!"

_You have to take care of Kida-kun and Saki-chan,_ she wrote. _Besides, I think we'll need the money for extra groceries. Kida-kun has quite the stomach!_

Saki giggled and fed Masaomi a bit of pancake. "He'll never stop eating, I swear," she chuckled.

Masaomi chewed and blinked. "Hey, when you go out, could you pick me up some chips?"

"Of course!"

At that moment, Celty's phone rang. Shinra's heart raced a bit when she answered. There was silence as they tried to figure out what the phone call was about. She closed the phone and opened the keyboard. _I have a job. I'll be back tonight._

She got up and started for the door, when Shinra stopped her. "Who is the caller?"

Celty blinked and typed on her keyboard. _Heiwajima Shizuo,_ she wrote before turning and disappearing out the front door. With a neigh of her motorcycle, she was gone. Shinra was relieved and sat back down at the table, folding his hands and resting his forehead on them.

Saki glanced at Masaomi, unsure. Masaomi silently told her to leave. "I'm going to the store now," she said. "I'll be back within the hour."

"Alright," Shinra said, standing up and walking out into the hall. "Be careful."

"I will," she said, then left.

Shinra disappeared into his room. Masaomi waited until he heard the door click before grabbing his crutches and standing up. He walked to Shinra's room and opened the door without knocking. "Shinra," he said, walking in.

Shinra lying on his bed, one arm slung over his forehead. Without moving, he glanced at Masaomi. "What is it?" he asked.

Masaomi paused for a moment, opened his mouth to speak...then stopped. "It's nothing," he whispered, the turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him as he left.

_He's just as scared as you are._

Shinra stared at the door for a moment before bringing his gaze up to the ceiling once more. His mind went blank, staring at such a pure white ceiling. Slowly, he mentally drew brush strokes, trying to paint the perfect future.

But what was the perfect future?

He turned onto his side and stared at the window, gray eyes as drowsy as the city, wearing no expression. There was no color in the city, just like his gray eyes.

_Masaomi-kun...There isn't much difference between you and I._

…

**After Notes**

I dunno what's going on either.

...wait...

Well, Review!


	7. Chapter 7: How To Know A Liar

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter, Shinra got a death threat from Izaya and now he's paranoid.

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 7**

**How To Know A Liar**

The next day had been normal.

Masaomi was learning rather quickly. Saki could teach him on her own, aiding him when he lost his balance. Celty said it wouldn't be long before Masaomi would be able to walk on his own without aid, but he would still be unable to run.

Shinra continued to quote just how much he thought Masaomi and Saki were cute together and how much he loved Celty. Finally, she smacked him a good one, earning a laugh from the couple on the couch. Shinra coward every time she raised her arm after another dumb love quote, but he never ceased to preach about love.

It must have been his favorite thing in the whole world.

After an hour of learning to walk, Masaomi collapsed back on the couch. "Man," he sighed. "I don't feel like going _anywhere_ today."

Saki smiled and rested on his shoulder. "I'll go out for you today, then," she said. "I've already been out shopping. I don't think I have any reason to leave."

Masaomi smiled and wrapped an arm around her. "That's fine," he said. "I don't want you to go anywhere, either."

…

_The hallways were dark. Almost too dark for him to see._

_Shinra sped down the hall, clutching several books into his side as he jogged. He stopped suddenly at an intersection, trying to remember the correct way out. He dashed to the right, out of random, and increased his speed to a run, almost tripping as he progressed down the hall._

_Suddenly, he skidded to a stop, panting, hands on knees._

"_This experiment will be successful," came a voice through the thinly built wall. "When it is, we can control Japan with fear and power."_

_Shinra blinked and turned to the wall. He leaned forward and pressed his ear against the wall. "What...?" He trailed along the wall until he found a door. Very slowly, he opened the door just a bit and peered inside._

_Inside, tied to the wall, was large robot. It stared at the wall ahead of it, as if deactivated. Shinra looked closer, squinting. That robot...was..._

_The door fell open completely and Shinra crashed to the ground. He yelped and got his hands and knees, glancing up at the men and the giant robot. "Hey, you're not supposed to be in here!" one of the men growled. The other pressed a button for security._

"_I'm sorry, Celty," he gasped, jumping his feet and continuing down the hall towards the exit. "I got spotted. I'm out of here."_

_Later, when he escaped, he received a text._

It's alright. You did your best.

_Shinra nodded and met her by the train station. They boarded a ride to Ikebukuro._

…

Shinra slowly woke up, ten to seven. He leaned up and glanced around, slowly recalling everything as if to recover from temporary amnesia. He sighed and got out bed. He got dressed in any casual outfit then covering himself in a lab coat.

His phone vibrated. Shinra was almost afraid to answer it, but there was no hesitation when he took it, flipped it open, and read the text.

_Orihara Izaya_

_905-8429_

_I wonder what today will bring._

…

"Did you ask him?"

"No."

Masaomi couldn't find the courage to talk to Shinra. He walked into his room and opened his mouth. His courage had gotten him that far, but there was something that stopped him. The look in Shinra's cloudy gray eyes. "It was the same expression, the same fear in my eyes when you were taken."

Saki had, in all honesty, never seen Masaomi truly scared, but she could somehow imagine it. The same fear when they were attacked by the Blue Squares. "I'm...sorry," was all she could say.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Masaomi chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I just wish I knew why Shinra was acting this way. Ever since he met that man in the Russian Sushi restaurant..."

"Masaomi," Saki whispered, leaning into his hear. "I'm going to the alley Shinra and the man went into. I'll investigate. Talk to Shinra, and don't chicken out this time, okay?"

"I'll try," he replied.

Saki nodded once and leaned up. "Oi, Shinra-san! I'm going to Russian Sushi to bring back for supper tonight. I think Masaomi-kun should rest tonight."

Shinra glanced back from the TV and nodded. "Alright. See you soon, Saki-chan."

Saki smiled slightly as she closed the door and left the building. After a few moment, Masaomi asked, "Shinra, could we learn to walk today?"

Shinra was shocked to hear this directed to him instead of Saki. "Sure," he said, still sounding surprised. He got up and helped Masaomi to his feet, but Masaomi didn't take any steps.

"I know a fake smile when I see one," he said.

There was a sense of understanding, as if Shinra was expecting this. Then, he pouted. "What do you mean, Kida-kun?"

Masaomi's chin dropped an inch. "You know very well what I'm talking about," he growled. "Don't think I can't tell. I used to pretend, too, you know."

Shinra didn't protest to this. He couldn't deny it, but he couldn't admit the whole truth. "Everything is okay," he said. "I have it under control."

That was something Masaomi never thought he would hear from Shinra's mouth in such a calm, sure tone. As if he was serious and he knew. Masaomi knew just how serious Shinra was. How much Shinra wanted Masaomi to believe him, to resort to such a tone. "That's what I thought, too," Masaomi whispered. "I thought I had it under control, a year ago. When I first met Saki. I thought I had it under control when I regained my position as General. I _thought_."

There was an uncomfortable silence, as if Shinra didn't know how to respond. And he didn't. "I...can't tell you," he finally said. "If I do, I'll lose control."

"That's all this game is," Masaomi said, his gaze never leaving the ground. He couldn't bring himself to look in Shinra's eyes. "It's a game of control. We're all looking for a sense of control in this world." Before Shinra could say anything, Masaomi turned and stared right through him, avoiding his gaze without averting it. "It's Izaya, isn't it?"

Shinra stepped back. "Masaomi. Stop this. Stop it."

Masaomi growled and stepped forward. "Why can't you tell us, Shinra? Why can't you trust us?"

"I trust you," Shinra replied. "but I-"

"But you, what?" Masaomi snapped, interrupting Shinra before he could say his excuse. "Are you afraid? Are you a coward? Are you trying to leave it behind and pretend it didn't happen? Like I did? Like I tried to leave the Yellow Scarves behind and pretend it never happened?" Crystal tears were streaming down Masaomi's face. "Like I tried to leave Saki behind and pretend she never happened?"

Shinra stepped back as Masaomi stepped forward. "That's not it," he insisted.

But Masaomi kept going. "You can't leave it behind, Shinra! No matter how hard you try. Can't you see that? You have your head in the clouds with your damn love and dreams and, and dreams and visions of things that won't happen if you keep running away."

"Shut up."

"You can't run away forever."

"Shut up!"

"You can't hide!"

"I said _shut up_!"

"Shinra!"

There was a long, painful silence. It was broken when Masaomi stumbled and collapsed to his side onto the couch. He grabbed the back of it and fixed himself to stare up into Shinra's gaze, but Shinra didn't look. "That's enough," he whispered, suddenly very quiet.

Masaomi's golden orbs darted away before Shinra could look at him, reversing the want to look into the others eyes. Shinra sighed, turned, and started towards his bedroom. He opened the door when he was stopped by a voice. Shinra disregarded what it said and disappeared into his room, trying to gather a sense of clarity, of balance, but words echoed in his mind like a bell.

"I know a liar when I see one."

…

**After Notes**

What will happen next? Review, and you'll soon find out.


	8. Chapter 8: How To Get Nowhere

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter, Masaomi and Shinra had a falling out. Also, a bit of the "experiment" was revealed.

On with the story.

…

**Chapter 8**

**How To Get Nowhere**

It had taken twenty minutes to get to the Russian Sushi shop. Saki beamed when she noticed Simon handing out fliers outside of restaurant. "Saki-chan!" he cheered when he saw her. "One for today?"

"No," she giggled, shaking her head. "I'm ordering take-out today, if you don't mind."

"Of course!" Simon smiled. "Russia sushi good at restaurant, better at home. I go put in order for you."

"Thank you," she said. "If you don't mind, I have some things I need to do. I'll be back in about ten minutes, okay?"

Simon nodded. "That okay. Come back in ten minutes. Russia Sushi be ready when you come."

Saki chuckled a thank you and Simon disappeared into the shop. Saki stood for a moment, wondering where the entrance to the alley behind the Russian Sushi shop was. It wasn't long before she spotted it and she jogged over to it. She placed a hand on the brick and peered in. A light breeze fluttered through her yellow skirt and she shivered. Slowly, she walked in.

It was dark and, she had to admit it, scary. The alley was claustrophobic and long. For a moment, she didn't think it would end, when an opening in the side she failed to see made itself visible. She almost walked passed it when she stopped and took two steps back.

She gasped, bringing her arm up. "Oh...my God," she whimpered. In the most detained pace she had ever known, she walked up to the lump of clothes on the ground, afraid of what she would see. She got close enough to see the clothes even closer.

A man. A _dead_ man. She screamed and jumped back a couple of steps. The man didn't move. Saki blinked and walked around to his side. She kneeled down and pushed the man onto his back. Her voice was caught in her throat. She stared in horror.

The man's stomach and chest had been spliced open, like he was being _dissected_. Worse, that man was the same one who had approached them that day Simon offered them half-off sushi. The same man who had talked with Shinra. She couldn't scream. She couldn't move. She was in pure shock.

Saki didn't noticed a tall, dark man behind her. He reached around and grabbed her, pulling her close into a tight, protective hug. "Simon!" she sobbed, crying into his chest. "He's dead! He's dead!" She couldn't bring herself to cry out her conclusion. _Shinra killed him. Shinra killed this man_.

High up above her head, where Saki didn't know, stood a man, grinning, his fur coat billowing in the wind. "Well, well," he mused, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I suppose Saki will have something to do with this after all. How unfortunate." His red gaze adjusted itself in interest. "This is going to get _very_ interesting."

…

"He..._killed_ someone?" Masaomi kept his voice low but it was shaking with pure shock; it almost shot through the roof. "Shinra?"

Saki nodded, absolutely terrified. "I don't want to know why," she whimpered. "I'm afraid to know why."

The two were sitting on the couch in Shinra and Celty's apartment, holding each other, scared the doctor would come in and hear their conversation, but he was just outside the apartment, talking to Celty about a job she was given.

"I don't know very much," Masaomi whispered, afraid the walls were so thick, Shinra could hear them. "but I talked to him last night. We had an argument. He said that if he told us what was going on, he would lose control."

Saki blinked and leaned in closer. "Lose control? Of what?"

"I don't know." Masaomi bit his lip before continuing. "but what I do know...is that Izaya has something to do with this all."

Saki's eyes widened. "Izaya-kun?" she whispered, waiting for confirmation. Masaomi nodded. "Why? What could Izaya get out of this?"

"I don't know," Masaomi said again. "I think it's time we get some answers."

Saki shivered at the tone of Masaomi's voice. "Answers? From who?"

Masaomi's eyes narrowed. "From the people of Shinra and Izaya's past."

…

There was yaoi manga and action-adventure novels spread open faced to pages Masaomi could have died happy not seeing. He shifted uncomfortably on his crutches. "Shinra and Izaya?" the rough-voice male muttered, leaning against the van, arms folded across his chest.

Erika and Walker seemed too distracted by the anime on the screen in order to care about the two visitors. Saburo was trying to clean up the mess in his van left by Walker and Erika. Kyohei was leaning against the van, addressing Saki and Masaomi. "Yeah. I went to High School with them. What do you want to know?"

"Anything about them," Saki said.

Kyohei blinked and shifted. "Why those two?"

"There is something going on between them." It was Masaomi who answered. "I think Izaya is screwing with Shinra's head."

Kyohei sighed. "Listen, you two. Izaya is a terrible person, and you know that first hand." He looked up at the two, serious. "Getting into Shinra and Izaya's business is a very dangerous thing, and you probably shouldn't even consider getting involved."

"Shinra killed a man," Saki blurted out, pulling out their trump card before Masaomi could try any other reason to convince Kyohei otherwise. "and we're staying with him. Honestly, Masaomi and I are scared. We don't know what to do."

"Pretend nothing happened," Kyohei muttered. Masaomi and Saki said nothing and Kyohei sighed again. "Look, I don't have any information to help you. I only went to High School with them. I didn't talk to them. Shinra, Izaya, and Shizuo were the only ones that were seen together." Kyohei inhaled deeply. "All I can tell you is that Shinra and Izaya were once friends. For Izaya to be messing with Shinra is something that _no one_ would expect. There must have been something else that happened, but I don't know. I can't tell you anything."

Saki nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

Kyohei shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "No problem." Saki and Masaomi said goodbye and turned to leave. Before they were out of ear shot, Kyohei yelled out, "Hey, Kida!" They turned and looked back at Kyohei one last time. "Get better soon, okay?"

Masaomi smiled then turned and continued with Saki down the road.

…

The couple stared up at the bartender-dressed man smoking a cigarette. "I...zaya...?" Shizuo purred slowly. "I hate that bastard."

"Yeah, I got that," Masaomi sighed. "I was wondering if you knew if anything was going on between him and Kishitani-san?"

"Eh? Shinra? Oh, I know him." Shizuo removed the cigarette from his mouth and put it out in the ashtray, much to Saki's relief. The smoke was beginning to choked her. The apartment was small and it was easy to get it full of smoke. "He introduced me to Izbaka. He must have been the flea's only friend."

Masaomi blinked. "You're kidding."

Shizuo shook his head. "Do I look like the type to kid?" They couple said nothing. "Yeah. Why? What do you need to know about them?" Saki went through the story, in greater detail than when they talked to Kyohei, and, when she finished, Shizuo's expression hadn't changed. "I don't know," he mumbled after a moment. "Maybe something happened between them. It's hard to tell what's going through the flea's head, if anything at all."

The duo frowned. Shizuo knew nothing either. Masaomi thought that if anyone knew about Shinra and Izaya, it would be Shizuo, but it turned up dead. "Damn," he cursed. "Alright. Thank you, Heiwajima-san."

"Drop the suffixes," he muttered. "It annoys me. It's not like you. Just Shizuo is fine."

"Alright. Thanks, Shizuo."

Shizuo shrugged. "I didn't do anything."

Masaomi smiled, defeated.

…

Mikado opened the door to his apartment, much to his shock to see Masaomi and Saki standing outside. It was nearly dark, but he was still happy to see them. "Masaomi-kun! Saki-chan! Man, I can't believe you made it up those stairs!"

After a moment of talking, and explaining their reasons for coming, Mikado was blinking, dumbfounded. "You want me to ask the Dollars for information on Kishitani Shinra and Orihara Izaya-san?" Masaomi nodded. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

…

Celty had just returned from a day's job. She plopped down on the couch and sighed, wondering where Masaomi and Saki had disappeared off to. She didn't wonder very long. Her phone vibrated. It was a text. She opened it and glanced at it. Fear chilled her for a moment.

_Dollars_

_Private_

_Any information on Kishitani Shinra and Orihara Izaya has been requested._

Celty stared at her phone. She glanced back at Shinra, who was working in his office, seeming slightly distracted. She glanced back at her phone. _Kida, is this your doing?_

…

Izaya had been spinning around in his chair, wondering what to do when his cellphone went off. He glanced at the text from the head of the Dollars and smiled to himself. "Oh? What's this? Ryūgamine-kun has been brought into this, too? My, my. Getting persistent, aren't we, Saki-chan?"

He laughed and spun around on his chair once, earning an annoyed glare from Namie. "I think you're crazy," she growled.

"I'm paying you," Izaya shot back, reading the text over and over again. "I wonder what they will do when they get no new information. I wonder what Kishitani-san is even thinking right now! He wouldn't get the text. Celty would. So, then, I wonder if she gets the hint that I know something about her boyfriend's strange behavior."

Namie simply sighed and shoved some more books into the shelf.

…

**After Notes**

Are things getting interesting? Or are they boring?

Let me know! Review button! What do you people want?


	9. Chapter 9: How To Hide A Promise

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter, Masaomi and Saki searched for answers and turned up with nothing.

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 9**

**How To Hide A Promise**

_Orihara Izaya_

_905-8249_

_The countdown has begun, but at which number does it start at?_

…

Saki spooned a bit of waffle into Masaomi's open mouth. "Are you going to practice your balance today?" she asked, trying to keep her own mouth open when she fed Masaomi another piece.

Masaomi chewed and swallowed. "Yup," he said. "Maybe I'll be able to walk without the crutches soon."

Saki beamed. "That's great!" She placed the empty plate on the table and sat beside him. "Once your fully healed, we'll go to- Oh, where should we go first, Masaomi-kun? Cuba? Hawaii? Some place warm! Africa!"

Masaomi laughed and let her ramble on about the places she wanted to go, mentally noting to go _everywhere_ she wanted to for at least a week. He had to make it up to her somehow. At that moment, he turned away and hiccuped. He covered his mouth and whimpered.

Very slowly, Saki stopped talking. "Masaomi-kun?" Was he...crying?

"Saki-chan," he breathed, his voice shaking in and out, tears sliding down his face. "I feel so terrible. I feel like all I do is make you wait."

"That's not true," she said softly, leaning forward and running a hand through his hair.

Masaomi shook his head. "You waited for me in the van with the Blue Squares, you waited for me in the hospital, and you're waiting for me now." He looked up at her, his golden gaze pleading, almost as if he _wanted_ her to be angry. "I promise. After this, you'll never have to wait again. I'll never make you wait again."

There was a moment of shocked silence. Then, very slowly, Saki smiled. "Alright," she said. "I trust you."

She didn't think he could keep the promise.

After all, she promised she would love him and_only_ him.

…

Celty woke up to the sound of rain outside their bedroom window. Someone had opened it, and that someone was Shinra, who was staring out over the city. She leaned up and stretched, changing her shadow clothes into her usual body suit.

Click, click, click. _Shinra, what are you doing? Close that window. It's cold!_

Shinra flinched at the sound of the clicking, then smiled. "Sorry, Celty-chan," he said, closing the window. He didn't bother explaining why he had opened it. "Did you sleep well?"

_Yes. I did, thank you._

Shinra smiled and glanced away for the second. "That's good." He turned back to her, his beaming bright smile shyer than usual.

_Shinra, are you-_

She didn't finished typing. Shinra had stopped her, embracing her in a hug. He didn't say anything, he didn't pull anything fancy. He hugged her as though he couldn't let her go. He _wouldn't_ let her go. He leaned back, let her go, and said, "I'm going somewhere today."

Celty blinked and started to type in her keyboard when Shinra stopped her. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll be fine."

Celty paused then nodded. He knew what she was thinking. She would trust him and she wouldn't follow him. Shinra knew how to know what someone was feeling, what someone was thinking, without reading their facial expression. It was one of tricks Izaya taught him back in High School, back when they were friends.

Everything had changed.

Shinra beamed in his usual way then rushed to the bedroom door opening it and, before he could close it, he chirped through the crack, "Bye!" then he disappeared.

…

Shinra took a deep breath and started down the hall, closing his office door when he reached the end. He peered into the living room where the two were watching TV. "Kida-kun. Saki-chan. I'm going out, okay? Bye!"

They turned and waved and let him leave.

The door clicked shut and the two teens glanced at each other. "Now or never," Masaomi said, getting himself to a stand on his own and picking up his crutches. Saki nodded and followed him out of the living room.

…

Both his hands were in his pockets as he walked down the street, looking at the sights with pure awe, taking in everything he failed to notice before. Shinra was almost always inside. He didn't like leaving the apartment because of the gangs and thugs and people like Izaya, but it was different.

They were the whole reason he was leaving. Well, at least, Izaya was.

After a half an hour of walking, he finally arrived at the large building Izaya's apartment was in. He looked up at the windowed floor Izaya's apartment was on . He could see Izaya staring back down at him, then turning and walking back into his living room.

Shinra took a deep breath and walked into the building. He rode the elevator up to the top floor and hesitated until the elevator doors opened. He took a step forward and walked very slowly to the door that lead to Izaya's apartment.

Again, he hesitated. He stared at the doorknob and reached his hand for it. Then, he stopped. His cheeks tickled only a bit. Shinra reached up and brushed a finger along his cheek. A tear pooled on the tip of his middle finger. It rolled down his knuckles, down his palm until it disappeared.

With a new found sense of courage, he twisted the doorknob and stepped inside.

…

_Taro Tanaka is online._

_Kanra is online._

_Kanra: Moshi-Moshi, Tanaka-san!_

_Taro Tanaka: Hello, Kanra-san._

_Setton is online._

_Kanra: Hi, Setton-san._

_Setton: Hey, you guys._

_Bakyura is online._

_Bakyura: Yo!_

_Kanra: Oh, did you guys hear?_

_Taro Tanaka: Hear what?_

_Kanra: Apparently, the head of the Dollars is looking for information on Kishitani Shinra and Orihara Izaya._

_Bakuyra: What? Really? Didn't they go to High School or something together._

_Kanra: Yeah, but I heard they had a falling out._

_Setton: They did? About what?_

_Kanra: I can't be too sure. It's rumor on the street, but apparently they had a fight over a woman._

_Setton: A woman?_

_Bakyura: Are you serious?_

_Taro Tanaka: Why did they fight over a woman?_

_Kanra: I'm not sure, but, if I'm correct, it's the woman Kishitani Shinra is living with right now._

_Setton: You mean the headless rider?_

_Taro Tanaka: How do you guys know that?_

_Bakyura: Who doesn't know that?_

_Kanra: Yup. Also, it's said Kishitani Shinra saw something he wasn't supposed to in Tokyo. It was something really big, too, and there are people looking for him._

_Bakyura: What was it? Do you know?_

_Kanra: Nope!_

_Kanra: The only other thing I know is that Orihara Izaya knew about it and he doesn't want anyone to know about this "something" so he's trying to kill him._

_Setton: What? You can't be serious!_

_Taro Tanaka: Uh, guys, I gotta go. I have something I need to do._

_Setton: I have to go!_

_Setton is offline._

_Taro Tanaka is offline._

_Kanra: Oh, right! One last thing._

_Kanra: Kishitani is talking Orihara right now._

_Bakyura is offline._

…

**After Notes**

Oh, my Gosh! What is going to happen next? Are you guys excited! Stay tuned for the coming closer of the dramatic ending of "How To Walk Again"!

Or is it?

Review, guys! Do you want more, or do you guys just want this to end? Let me know!


	10. Chapter 10: How To Run

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter, everyone found out Izaya is going to kill Shinra.

On with the story!

…

**Chapter 10**

**How To Run**

Rain pattered against the windowed wall over looking Ikebukuro. There was no thunder or lightning, just pure, calming rain.

"I'm glad we can sit down and drink tea like _responsible_ adults," Izaya remarked, sipping his tea. Shinra would have preferred coffee over oolong, but it would do. He quieting drank a bit of his tea and place it on the coffee table between the two young men just a bit to the right. Izaya did the same. "Now, Kishitani-san, I'm sure you aren't here to simply have tea. What is it you've come here for?"

Shinra took a deep breath. "Why?" It was the only thing he could bring himself to say.

Izaya rested his chin on his propped fist and tilted his head. "'Why?' Couldn't be more vague, Kishitani-san."

"Why now?" Shinra demanded. "Why didn't you try to kill me three years ago? Why are you trying to kill me now?"

Izaya smirked. "Shinra, Shinra, Shinra," he sighed, sounding disappointed. "I should be asking you the same thing? Why are you facing me now, after all these years?" Shinra ignored the question. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you it was pure coincidence, would you?"

Shinra shook his head. "I know you better than that. You have a reason for everything."

"Well, then." Izaya stood up and stretched. "I'll tell you why 'now'. I'll tell you the reason I chose to try and kill you now instead of three years ago." Shinra stood up as Izaya approached him and leaned forward, almost touching noses. "Because, 'now', you are the easiest to _break_."

Shinra blinked and stumbled a bit. "What?"

…

He cursed and swore repeatedly. Shizuo _hated_ walking in the rain. It bothered him more than anything in the world. He was wet, cold, and he was always _just so pissed off_.

Suddenly, something slammed into him from behind and he nearly lost it. "Hey, kid! Watch where you're-"

"Heiwajima-san!" The voice cut him off before he could think of throwing the boy across the street. It was Mikado, jumping to his feet, panting heavily. "Do you know where Masaomi-kun is?"

Shizuo stared at Mikado, dumbfounded for a moment before shaking his head. "Look, kid, shouldn't you be at home, or at least wearing something for the weather?" It was true, Mikado wasn't dressed for the rain at all. He must have left in a rush, only in his green and white sweater and blue jeans darkened from the rain.

"I don't have time!" he gasped. "I have to find him. Izaya is going to kill Shinra!"

Shizuo flinched at the information. He paused for a moment, wondering whether or not he should get involved in all this. "Did you try his cellphone?"

"Yes!" Mikado cried. "I tried to get a hold of him every way I could, but he won't answer!"

There was a long pause, then Shizuo turned away. "Sorry, kid. I can't help you."

Mikado just watched him walk off, wondering what to do next.

…

"Masaomi, you can't!" Saki gasped, trying to pull him away from the door. She thought it would be easier despite that his disability, but the need to go after Shinra was just too strong. Masaomi had found his balance and was rushing towards the door. "You can't go after him. Let me!"

"I can't let you do that, Saki," he snapped. "Stay here and see if you can get a hold of Shinra."

Saki gasped and pulled back. "What are you going to do, Masaomi-kun? Where are you going?"

Masaomi turned, stumbling slightly before catching his balance again. "I'm going to have a word with Izaya."

…

Celty had tried calling Izaya and Shinra repeatedly. Neither of them answered. Ikebukuro was a large city. Where was Shinra in all this? Where did he go? She should have asked! She pushed her motorcycle even fast, up and down over a hill, high above the speed limit, hoping to avoid the police. She'd be damned if they came after her today!

Were they purposely hiding themselves from what happened? Was that what had happened three years ago? Was that the reason Shinra had been so quiet lately? Had Izaya threatened him? There were too many questions without answers going through her head. She didn't know what to do, but she knew what she wanted.

To kill Orihara Izaya.

…

At that moment, the lightning took it's cue and flashed brightly. Shinra could only see the blood-red gaze for the moment, their faces so close together. Izaya pushed Shinra back onto the couch and trapped his shoulders against the couch and pinned him down with his knees against Shinra's waist. "You were always so interested in studying Shizuo and myself, our fights, how Shizuo and I could keep up such fantastical battles."

Shinra swallowed a lump in his throat, his mouth running dry. "I-"

"That was the only thing you were interested in," Izaya purred. "Studying the physical aspects of a person. How they were able to do something so unusual. How Celty could live without a head, how Shizuo could pick up a vending machine and throw it at me, how I was able to match Shizuo's every single move."

It was difficult to breath. It was like he was suddenly only breathing Izaya's carbon dioxide, as odd as that sounded, but all he could smell was the lemon and sugar from the green tea Izaya had been drinking.

"Meanwhile," Izaya continued. "I preferred the mental ability, the psychological standards of a person and watch what would happened when they break. That's how you and I were so alike. We could know a person's physical and psychological limits. We were almost unstoppable. We would have been a perfect team, Shinra, but you have your heart set on something else. A woman. More specifically,_ Sturluson Celty_."

"What, are you jealous?" Shinra couldn't help but ask. "You're angry because I would take part in your damn antics to screw up Ikebukuro, to kill people, to watch them _suffer_?"

"No, I'm not angry that you refused to take up my offer," Izaya whispered. "I'm not angry at all. I'm _intrigued_. If you would give up amazing research for a woman you love, then how much _more_ would you give for her to stay alive?"

…

He was running. He was _running_. And, _dammit_, did it feel great! The wind his hair (_not_ going backwards with the help of wheels), the hushed, harsh panting, oxygen burning his lungs, the muscles in his legs aching.

Masaomi could run all day, but he knew he couldn't. It was only a few minutes before he would approach Izaya's apartment.

…

Saki had dialed Shinra's cellphone repeatedly, but there was no answer. "Damn it!" she cursed, slamming her head on the desk of Shinra's office. She waited for a moment before there was a knock at the door. She jumped to her feet and ran to the door, desperately hoping it was Shinra.

She opened the door and blinked twice. "Mikado-kun?"

…

_Ryūgamine Mikado_

_748-5194_

_Have you seen Masaomi-kun?_

Anri stared at her phone, confused by what he meant. She peered out her window and suddenly knew _exactly_ what he meant. Masaomi was _running_ outside, speeding passed her apartment. She quickly replied to the message and hurried out the door.

…

Shinra had half a mind to cry out one of his favorite quotes to respond to that, but he decided against it.

Izaya sighed at the silence. "If you love her, you won't move," he said. "because I'm facing you with a choice; either you or Celty dies."

There was a long pause. With all his will power, Shinra snapped, "Well, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to kill me?"

Izaya smirked. Then he chuckled, and his laugh grew into a holler. Finally, he gathered his composure. "Honestly, Shinra! Even I would think that your 'love antics' were entirely fake, _just like Masaomi's,_ but perhaps you both will prove me wrong. Is love fake, Shinra? Of course, _you're_ initial reply would be 'of course not!', but to some people, it is. Let's take Mikajima Saki-san, for example."

Shinra flinched. "Saki-chan has nothing to do with this!"

"Yes, she does," Izaya purred. "I _made_ her apart of this." Shinra gasped and tried to say something, but Izaya went on. "You know their story, don't you? Masaomi and Saki's story? They fell in love, but Saki was captured by an enemy gang, trying to coax Masaomi out of hiding. He was too scared to save her. He felt so guilty. So guilty, he broke up with her, but she still loved him. He came back to her after a year, and they were going to live happily ever after."

"Leave them alone!" Shinra snapped.

Izaya ignored him. "But do you know, the first they were dating, the very beginning, she was in love with someone else? Someone I met over the internet."

Shinra blinked. He didn't want to hear what Izaya was going to say next. He wanted to punch the man off of him, but he had to stay put or Celty would be killed.

"Ryūgamine Mikado."

…

**After Notes**

A big, "Holy Crap!" moment! What will happen next?

Review guys! C'mon! Just for me! Annonymas reviews accepted. Just put in the alias box, "I'm A Banana!" or something and tell me how I'm doing! Thanks!


	11. Chapter 11: How To Die

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read**

Last chapter, a lot actually happened. I'm surprised myself.

On with the story.

…

**Chapter 11**

**How To Die**

"People cheat, Shinra," Izaya snarled. "How can you possibly think the love between you and Celty is real? How can you possibly think that Celty will love you, too? Don't realize, Shinra? Love maybe be a great thing, but hate is ever greater."

"Shut up, Izaya!" Shinra snapped. "It doesn't matter if Celty loves me back! If I'm foolish, then I'll die by it, but I'd rather die thinking I've lived than live thinking I've died."

Izaya pouted. "What a shame. I guess you'll die here tonight." Shinra gritted his teeth as Izaya reached back behind him and pulled out a gun from his belt. "Well, Kishitani-san, it's been fun. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but I like my revenge hot and steamy," He pressed the gun against Shinra's temple. "like the barrel of a recently used gun."

Shinra closed his eyes, calmly, collectively, as though to except the fate Izaya laid out for him. Izaya smirked and squeezed the trigger.

…

"Mikado-kun?" Saki gasped.

Mikado nodded. "I found out about Izaya and Shinra," he said.

"We do, too," Saki began, but Mikado continued on.

"Izaya-san is planning to kill Shinra-san," Mikado said. "I read about a big project in Tokyo called the Robot Association. Apparently, it was canceled three years ago when something went wrong and it was bombed, and you'll never guess who ordered it."

Saki thought for a moment then gaped. "Izaya-kun?"

Mikado nodded. "He knew he didn't want Shinra to tell about it," he continued. "so in case he opened his mouth, he completely destroyed the experiment. The experiment was supposed to be a weapon for war, and, at the time, Shinra was working there as a biologist, helping figure how the parts work like a human's body. Shinra overheard several men working on the war machine and accidentally got caught."

"But why now?" she asked. "Why try to kill him now instead of three years ago? Why keep Shinra alive until today?"

"Because Shinra was Izaya's only friend. He didn't want Shinra to die."

…

Shizuo stared up at the apartment building. He snarled, fighting an internal war. Should he go in there? Should he go on with his day? At that moment, Masaomi burst out of nowhere and his way inside, never noticing Shizuo standing before the building. Shizuo growled. "Stupid kid."

…

Celty paused and stared out over the whole city. She had been everywhere twice and there was still no sign of Shinra. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She reached down and flipped it open to read the text.

_Kadota Kyohei_

_Private_

_He's talking to Izaya._

She stared at the message in shock. Shinra was talking to Izaya? But, more importantly, how did Kyohei know? Why did he tell _her_?

…

"His only friend?" Saki repeated, sounding dazed.

Mikado nodded. "Orihara-san has to kill Shinra-san because the Robot Association is starting up again, and if Orihara-san doesn't kill him, _they_ will. And you know Orihara-san. He wants to be in control. He's trying to earn their trust by killing Shinra-san so he can keep going on with his game."

Saki shook her head. "I can't believe he's _really_ doing that," she whispered.

"C'mon," Mikado breathed. "If we hurry and take the subway, we might reach Izaya's apartment before it's too late!"

Mikado turned and tried down the hall, but his wrist was grabbed by Saki. "Listen, Mikado," she whispered. "About Masaomi-kun...About before..."

"Don't worry, Saki-chan," he said, smiling reassuringly. "I didn't know, either."

Saki smiled and they ran out of the apartment, Saki locking it on their way out.

…

There was a loud _bang_ and something hit him hard on the side of the head. Shinra yelled and turned to the side. There was blood, there was pain, but, surprisingly enough, he was still conscious, still _alive_. Shinra opened his eyes the second he realized this and saw Izaya, on the ground, trying to blink away a temporary daze, holding his head, blood pouring from between his fingers.

Shinra shook away the daze. His attention was drawing to heavy breathing. He glanced up at where Izaya once was to see Masaomi, _standing alone_, clutching a metal bar in his hands, trying to catch his breath. "Are you okay?" Masaomi panted.

There was a moment of shock before Shinra jumped to his feet and nodded, stepping beside him. "You ran here?" he asked. Masaomi nodded, looking quite proud. "Only the best time to learn."

Masaomi nodded again then collapsed sideways, no longer able to hold himself up. Shinra caught him. "W-what...?"

"It must have been adrenaline," Shinra said. He stopped himself before going into a long explanation of how his body worked as it did, deciding that moment was probably not the best time.

Izaya got to his feet and pulled his hand from his head. "How did you get in here?" he asked. "That was pretty sneaky."

Masaomi smirked as Shinra slowly helped him to the ground. He had run into Namie in the halls, who decided to help him inside a secret way. He had spotted the pole somewhere along the way and decided to use it as a weapon. He had heard the whole conversation.

"Ah, well," Izaya sighed, dropping his gun on the table and collapsing onto the couch. "Mission failed." He turned to Shinra. "Are you sure you still don't want to work with me?"

Shinra blinked stupidly. "No," he said. "I'm fine, thanks."

"That sucks," he sighed. "Well, I'm sure you have other places to be, Shinra-san. But be forewarned; the clock is still ticking, counting down your final days. The Robot Association will be starting up again, and, _this time_, I won't be there to save you."

Shinra nodded once and started for the door when the door, itself, burst open and Shizuo stormed in. "Iz-ah-ya-kun," he purred, grabbing the informant by his black shirt and lifting him into the air. Izaya didn't resist too much.

"Oh, please, Shizu-chan," he chuckled lightly. "Must you come and destroy my office yet again?"

Shizuo yelled and threw Izaya in what seemed like a random direction. Izaya slammed into the windows and _the windows shattered_. Izaya inhaled and grabbed the edge before he fell completely. "Damn, Shizuo!" he hissed, trying pulling himself up back on again. "Must you destroy the windows?"

Shizuo waltzed up to the edge and looked down at Izaya. "You look pathetic," he said. "I kinda like it." Izaya couldn't help but smirk at the comment. Shizuo turned and headed for the door. "Next time, put up a fight."

Izaya shrugged and started to bring himself back up again, when a shard of glass cut his hand. He blinked and glanced at his hand when the other one slipped and Izaya fell all over again. This time, however, he didn't grab the edge.

He barely had enough time to realize he was falling. When he did, his wrist was caught on something and he stopped falling. Izaya blinked and looked down between his dangling feet and the the concrete sidewalk below. "Well, that," he murmured. "certainly would have sucked."

"Hold on."

Izaya glanced up and blinked at what he saw. "Shinra?"

Shinra had Izaya by the wrist, holding on with all his might. He tilted his head, slightly puzzled, but it doesn't show on his face as much as he thought. Shinra finally brought himself to open his eyes and smile a bit. "Hi," he said.

Izaya trailed his gaze down Shinra's arm. Blood was trickling from Shinra's wrist down into Izaya's own bloodied palm. "Hi," he replied and slowly smiled, too.

…

**After Notes**

It isn't over yet!

Review! It's great! By the way, I hope things are making sense. So, review! Yeah! Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12: How To Live Again

**How To Walk Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Masaomi is severely injured when he gets caught between one of Izaya and Shizou's legendary fights. It's up to Shinra, Celty, and Saki to teach the boy to walk again.

…

**Before You Read (Please Read)**

Last chapter, Izaya attempted to kill Shinra, but Masaomi stepped in. Then, Shinra saved Izaya's life.

_**NOTE**_: Furenchi translates into French. Eigo translates into English.

On with the story.

…

**Chapter 12**

**How To Live Again**

Mikado, Saki, Anri, and Celty arrived not too long later. Masaomi had fallen asleep on his spot on the floor, so Shinra had moved him to Izaya's couch. When he woke up again, he was so elated to see Mikado and Saki, he forgot he couldn't walk.

So did his body.

No one had been injured when the glass shattered. Shinra took the time to patch up Izaya's wounds, along with his own. "Reminds me of High School," he said. "How you and Shizuo would beat each other up and leave me to care for your wounds. I had to keep you guys on the other side of the school because neither of you would stop fighting!"

Masaomi sat with Saki, Mikado, and Anri on the other side of the room. "I heard about you and Mikado," he quietly whispered to Saki. "the first time we were dating-"

"Masaomi-kun, I'm so sorry!" Saki sobbed, crying into his shirt. "I didn't know anything. I was so caught up with pretending that I didn't realize what I was doing. I was so busy pretending to love you that I started to pretend I _didn't_ love you."

Masaomi wrapped his arms around her and rocked her softly. "Saki-chan," he said. "It's alright. That doesn't matter. It was a long time ago. We all make mistakes."

Saki nodded and looked up, tears still in her eyes. "Thank you, Masaomi-kun," she whispered.

…

_If you take the 480 train to Sako City, you can take the 12-8 train to Yokohama and take a boat out to Europe._ Celty and Saki were glancing at a map of the world in the kitchen, trying to find the correct boats and trains to get to Paris, France. Saki decided that was where she wanted to go first and Masaomi didn't protest.

In the living room, Masaomi was finishing any final packing with Shinra. "Did you know they say Paris is the city of _love_? Maybe I should take Celty-chan there some day!" Shinra had been back to his old self. No one had attempted to kill Shinra just yet, and things somehow felt safer. "I could speak to her love in Furenchi. Maybe even propose!"

"Of course, you'll have to learn Furenchi first," Masaomi laughed, stuffing a final shirt into the bag. "And it's not an easy language to learn. I've tried, and I decided Eigo is much easier."

Shinra chuckled. "Love is love, no matter what language it is spoken!"

Masaomi scoffed. "'Passion makes the world go round. Love just makes it a safer place,'" he quoted, something he had heard from Ice T.

Shinra said nothing in exchange and got to his feet. Masaomi stood up as well. "Any last advice before you leave?"

There was a moment of thought, when Masaomi replied, "Well, I was gonna say the lovely line, 'If I had to choose between breathing and loving you, I would use my last breath to say I love you,' but I think you already have that one down."

Shinra laughed. "Well, here's some advice for you; 'Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it.'"

Masaomi smiled. "I think I've learned that one already."

The two shared a secret, silent thanks before turning and walking to the girls in the kitchen. Saki turned to Masaomi and embraced him in a hug. Masaomi wrapped his arms around her waist. "We have the course all planned out. We're ready to leave."

Masaomi nodded then let go of Saki to speak with Celty and Shinra. "Hey. Thanks for all your help guys. Really, it was wonderful."

_It's no problem. If you ever need anything else,_ Celty wrote. _Just call._

"Same to you," Masaomi said.

Everyone hesitated for words. It was Shinra who spoke next. "Hey, Kida?" Masaomi glanced at him. "Thanks. For saving my _life_."

"Welcome," Masaomi replied. "Thanks for teaching me to walk." He wrapped an arm around Saki, who nodded in thanks as well.

Shinra smiled. "Welcome."

"You don't think," Masaomi began. "you could do one more favor for me, could you?"

Shinra nodded. "What is it?"

Masaomi smiled.

…

Izaya was staring out his window. It was another gray day, but no rain. Ikebukuro was such an achromatic city, but that was what he loved about it. It was flamboyant with different kinds of people and adventures everyday. He rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head. "How interesting."

Suddenly, the phone rang. Izaya spun around on his chair and picked up the phone. "Moshi-Moshi!" he chirped.

"Orihara Izaya?" came a voice on the other line.

Izaya smirked. "Why, this is me, yes."

"Is Kishitani Shinra-san dead, sir?"

Izaya paused for a moment, wondering how to reply. He glanced at his newly repaired window and smiled. "Yeah," he said. "He's dead."

…

The air out on the balcony was cold, but it was perfect for such a mood of Shinra. He couldn't help but think of how lucky he was. He was still alive. He had Celty. And he had his friend. Shinra smiled.

Click, click, click. _Shinra?_ Shinra turned at the clicking and saw Celty behind him. She walked up to the railing and looked out over the city, her smoke floating up far beyond the building. Then, she started typing on her keyboard. _Why did you save Orihara-san after he tried to kill you?_

Shinra read the message then turned and looked out over the city. "I don't know," he whispered. "I guess it was because...back then, he was my only friend, too."

Celty thought about it for a moment, then turned out to look over the city as well. Then she typed into her keyboard again. _Is it over, then?_ Shinra didn't bother reading the message. He didn't say anything. Celty hated being ignored but she just erased the message and wrote another one. _Why did you not tell me about the Robot Association trying to kill you three years ago? Why hide it all this time?_

There was a brief silence as Shinra read the message. Then he looked up at Celty and smiled. "Because I love you."

It wasn't exactly the response Celty was expecting, but she somehow understood him. _You knew this whole time, didn't you? You knew they were going to try to kill you. Weren't you scared?_

"No," Shinra said. "Because if I had to chose between living and loving you, I would use my last breath to say I love you." Celty flinched. "You're blushing."

_W-what? I am so not!_

Shinra beamed.

…

They stepped off the boat and glanced around their new surrounds. Nothing was in Japanese. The lettering was similar to English. She knew what they were saying. "How is this?" Masaomi asked, wrapping around her shoulders.

Saki beamed and rested her head on his shoulder. "It was worth waiting for," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Masaomi smiled, calm and serene. "No," he said. "Thank _you_."

Saki smiled, and the two walked into Paris. They walked into a new beginning.

Together.

…

There was a knock on the door not too late that night. Shinra answered the door and blinked in surprise. "Mikado-kun?" he questioned. "Anri-chan? What are you two doing here?"

Mikado and Anri shifted uncomfortably in their spot, looking unsure. "Kishitani-san," Mikado began, rubbing his elbow. "Ano, Masaomi-kun and Saki-chan... Are they still living with you?"

Shinra shook his head. "No. They moved out about a week ago."

Mikado and Anri exchanged worried looks before turning back. "Ano, do you know where they went?"

Shinra opened his mouth to say something else. Then he paused...and smiled. "No," he said. "I don't know where they are."

Mikado and Anri exchanged unsure looks before nodding in thanks. "Thank you, Kishitani-san. We're sorry for bothering you."

"No," Shinra laughed. "Drop by any time. We love visitors."

Mikado smiled then turned and walked with Anri out of the building. Shinra stood in the doorway for a moment. He stood there even after Mikado and Anri were gone. He smiled and chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "Nope. Not a clue."

Then he turned back into his apartment, shutting the door behind him.

_**THE**_ _**END**_

…

**After Notes**

Could a sequel be in order? Maybe! Review and I might just give you kiddies what you want! Or maybe I'll just write another Masaomi & Shinra fic. I'm sure I can come up with something.

Loved it? Hate it? Wanna read it again? Let me know! The review button is right there!

I'm a banana!

Man, I've always wanted to say that...


	13. How To Speak Again

**How To Speak Again**

**By: AtomicKokoro**

**Storyline**

Shinra seeks the aid of Masaomi and Saki once again. The only problem is that they forgot how to speak Japanese! Izaya and Shinra's lives are on the line, and a language barrier just might destroy everything!

…

**Before You Read**

Sequel to _How To Walk Again_ by AtomicKokoro (aka me).

I thought it would be cool to continue the story. Maybe it could be a series. Maybe... _How To Live_ or something... I dunno.

Just a translation note. English is Eigo, French is Furenchi, Japanese is Houjin. Clearing a bit of fog, that's all. And I am also aware none of you probably speak French. I used Google translate, but there will be some general idea as to what they are saying. You'll figure it out.

Anyways, you guys don't care about my comments, so on with the story!

…

**Chapter 1**

**How To Get In Trouble**

His first warning was getting his door kicked in by a man in a black suit with a gun. "Kishitani Shinra!" the voice boomed. Shinra jumped up from his couch and glanced down the hall way. "You're time is up!"

Shinra's eyes widened and he jumped to the side, bullets whizzing by and shattering the window behind him. The hall he ran down led to his bedroom. He turned, narrowly avoiding more explosive ammo. Why did Celty, of all days, have to work?

Two men in black chased him down the hall. Shinra thought about slamming his bedroom door closed but, seeing as what happened to his front door, it probably wouldn't do much. He practically ran into his window, unlocking it and kicking feet first out the window, sliding through without too much trouble, thanks to his small frame.

He slid out the window onto the emergency exit and ran down the stairs. The men scrambled through the window which was harder for them than Shinra since they were bigger, but they eventually got through and continued to chase Shinra.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Shinra cursed as he stumbled down the stairs into the railing, then turning and running down the next flight. When he feet finally touched ground, he started off towards the alley just across the street.

One of the men stopped, turned and aimed his gun, pulling the trigger when he was sure he was on sight. The semi-automatic gun fired about eight bullets before the man had to press the trigger again for another burst of rounds.

The doctor stumbled before disappearing into the alley. The man who had continued down the stairs followed after him and was later joined by his companion. When they reached a dead end, half a brick wall and a fence guarding bushes, they split up and went separate ways. If they had just looked at the brick wall for a second, they would have seen a trail of blood dripping from the chain-link.

Behind the fence, hidden in the bushes, was the doctor. His eyes were big, staring out the bushes, between the branches, watching the men come and go. One hand was on his mouth, the other pressing against a patch of blood on his thigh. Shinra closed his eyes and dropped the hand from his mouth, lying himself gently on the ground, frozen in pain, blood pouring from his gunshot wound onto his pure white lab coat. _Oh, mercy,_ he thought. _Someone save me._

…

_To Be Continued in "How To Speak Again" by AtomicKokoro_

_Available Now!_


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